Let’s Talk About Our Future

We are curious about the way communities and economies have changed over time. In WV, we have taken a closer look at top private industry employers in order to shape discussions around the questions "Where are we now?", "Where do we want to go?", and "How will we get there?"....Read more

The Clay County Business Development Authority, a grassroots group committed to community and economic development, has taken the lead in convening three well-attended What’s Next meetings in the town of Clay. Outreach for the meetings was spectacular, attracting 72 people to the first meeting. Residents decided to form groups to...Read more

If you missed the recent webinar from the WV Center for Civic Life and the WV Community Development Hub about facilitating community discussions about what's next for West Virginia, never fear--...Read more

This October, What's Next traveled to Glenville State College to participate in the Create WV conference, where we met many people who are trying to develop creative communities, companies, and centers...Read more

This infographic represents what leaders and community members in the New River Gorge region say economic development work looks like. The responses came from a recent summit we attended, hosted by the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, that brought together stakeholders in the region to talk about how...Read more

Upshur County's What's Next planning team includes people of diverse ages and geographic locations whose experience levels vary—the executive director of the local development authority and a professor at WV Wesleyan sit together with a volunteer who has never been involved in community work before. The group will hold eight meetings (holy...Read more

In the town of St. Albans, Kanawha County, the local Chamber of Commerce has hosted two What’s Next discussions in the wake of a violent crime that shook up the community and inspired a desire for change and improvement. A broad outreach effort to attract participants included newspaper stories and the...Read more

WVU recently released an economic forecast that looks at the upcoming year and outlines some things we can expect from the economy. The Eastern Panhandle's economy is expected to stay strong into early 2015. “West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle has experienced strong economic gains over the past few years, driven primarily by healthy growth in the trade, transportation and utilities sector in the region,” said Dr. John Deskins, BBER Director. “We expect the Eastern Panhandle economy will continue to build upon recent gains, posting a rate of job growth that is above the...Read more